Chapter 434 - 403: Spirit Treasure in the Ruins

Chapter 434: Chapter 403: Spirit Treasure in the Ruins

As expected of Body Cultivators—the most difficult opponents in the world of cultivation.

They relied on nothing but their physical bodies, no Magical Treasures or Spiritual Artifacts. Their sheer brutishness far surpassed other cultivators of the same tier. Calling them humanoid Fierce Beasts wouldn’t be an exaggeration. Any ordinary cultivator would have been defeated by now.

After all, of the three puppets, one was damaged and two had been sent flying, unable to provide support. What was left to stop his advance?

But...

No one had expected Chen Xi to have another Divine Statue.

BOOM—

The Black Jade Divine Statue seemed to rise from the very earth, capturing everyone’s attention the moment it appeared. Although smaller than the other puppets, the sense of intimidation it radiated was far greater.

As it manifested, its palm descended with ferocious force, like the toppling of Buzhou Mountain.

"Not good!"

Yu Yunfei’s pupils contracted. He quickly retracted his saber to defend, holding it horizontally before him and managing to block the descending palm.

DONG!

Amidst a deafening clang like a colossal bell, the ground beneath Yu Yunfei’s feet shattered, kicking up a wave of dust a hundred zhang high. With a rumbling explosion, the palm strike nearly slammed him straight into the earth.

A violent wind swept out in all directions like a stampede of wild horses.

"Huh?"

The members of the Yu Clan were all stunned.

Yu Yunko raised a sleeve to wave away the billowing dust. Her eyes fell on the Black Jade Divine Statue, and as if suddenly remembering something, she shot a surprised glance at Chen Che. But Chen Che’s expression was relaxed, as if he had anticipated this outcome all along.

The battle continued.

An ordinary Golden Core cultivator would have been maimed, if not severely injured, by taking that palm strike head-on.

But Yu Yunfei was completely unscathed, seemingly unaffected in the slightest.

He activated his Qi and Blood to their absolute limit, his body seeming to ignite in crimson flames. With a twist of his saber, he unleashed a surge of immense power that actually forced the Black Jade Divine Statue to stumble back.

Chen Xi brought her hands together, her ten fingers dancing up and down in a blur.

Following her movements, the retreating Black Jade Divine Statue suddenly shuddered. From its ribs, numerous arms fanned out like a peacock’s tail. Yu Yunfei, who had been about to press his advantage, froze for a split second. The moment was fleeting, lasting no more than half a finger-snap.

But in that instant, eyes on the statue’s palms blinked open, shooting out beams of black light.

BANG!

By the time Yu Yunfei came to his senses, he was met with a barrage of countless light beams raining down on him.

"Pathetic tricks."

He chuckled softly, his Golden Saber a blur. Wherever the blade passed, the black beams were sliced apart.

But before Yu Yunfei could feel pleased with himself, the severed beams of black light transformed into black mist that began to coil around him. The more beams he shattered, the denser the mist became, until he was completely enveloped within it.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

His saber slashed wildly.

The black mist was both hard and soft—at times as unyielding as iron, at others as ephemeral as a drizzling rain.

"What is this!?"

Cries of alarm rose from the Yu Clan members.

At that moment, Chen Xi’s gaze turned cold. She clenched her ten fingers into fists.

"Contract!"

At her command, the ethereal mist instantly solidified, transforming into countless black ropes. Like a moth caught in a spider’s web, Yu Yunfei couldn’t break free no matter how much he struggled. Instead, he was bound tighter and tighter, until he was encased in a human-shaped cocoon.

RUMBLE!

Almost simultaneously, the Divine Statue clapped its massive hands together, grasping Yu Yunfei in its palm as if he were a mere doll.

The surroundings fell deathly silent.

Chen Xi looked over, her expression impassive.

The faces of the Yu Clan members were all grim. In contrast, Chen Che’s group could hardly conceal their delight.

"I suppose that means we’ve won?"

Chen Che spared a glance for Yu Yunko, tapping his fingers gently.

"I haven’t lost yet!"

A tearing sound echoed as Yu Yunfei not only ripped through the black cocoon but also broke free from the statue’s grip. The moment he was free, he swung his long saber upward, unleashing a blade of light fueled by his Qi and Blood.

Chen Xi’s brow furrowed slightly. The Divine Statue moved again, clapping its giant palms together to catch the descending blade. With a wave of her bare hand, the Giant Eagle and the Hundred-Eyed Marsh Dragon rose up from the left and right, lunging forward.

"That’s enough!"

Seeing the battle about to escalate, Yu Yunko waved her hands, separating the two combatants. "You’ve already lost. Clan Leader Chen was holding back just now. The original master of that Divine Statue she’s using was from Thousand Eyes. What chance do you think you have?"

Seeing her younger brother was still unconvinced, Yu Yunko rebuked him before turning to Chen Che and clasping her hands.

"A bet is a bet. Since we lost, we will honor the terms. As per our prior agreement, all profits from the Undersea Ruins will be split fifty-fifty. However, this agreement begins now."

"Clan Leader Yu is refreshingly direct."

Her decisive manner not only left a good impression on everyone but also earned Chen Che’s approval. In the previous fight, Chen Xi had only held a slight advantage at best. After all, a Body Cultivator’s Qi and Blood was abundant, and they didn’t tire easily.

If the battle had dragged on, there was a small chance he could have turned defeat into victory, though the possibility was minuscule.

Chen Che nodded with a smile.

"We will also abide by the agreement. If we run into trouble, we certainly won’t hold back. Of course, if Clan Leader Yu doesn’t trust us, we can draw up a contract here and now."

"If it were anyone else, I would insist on a contract without hesitation. But Valley Master Chen is a fascinating person, so I’m willing to trust you this once." Yu Yunko picked up her cup and stood. "From this moment on, our cooperation begins. If in the future you require..."

Chen Che also stood, clinking his cup against hers and smoothly interrupting her. "We can discuss future matters in the future. For now, we should focus on getting through these Undersea Ruins."

"Right. Let’s solve the problem at hand first."

Yu Yunko clinked her cup against his again, this time more forcefully, and drained it in one gulp.

Chen Che raised his cup as well.

With that drink, the two sides officially joined forces for the first time. Yu Yunko warmly invited everyone to the table, but since a fight had just concluded, the atmosphere remained somewhat chilly. This was especially true for Yu Yunfei, who was clearly indignant about his loss to Chen Xi.

The two leaders paid it no mind and instead began discussing the Undersea Ruins.

"We arrived seven days before you, Valley Master Chen, so we’ve learned a little about these ruins. The phenomenon here occurred in two stages. First, the palace collapsed, the arrays shattered, and seawater rushed in, flooding everything."

Holding her cup, Yu Yunko explained the origins of the Undersea Ruins. Since they were cooperating, sharing information was a matter of course.

"After the arrays shattered, Spiritual Qi surged upward and converged, creating this pocket of vacuum on the seabed. During our explorations, we also discovered a few remaining weapons..."

"Valley Master Chen, please take a look."

Yu Yunko handed over a Ring-Headed Saber.

Meng Changtu, Meng Qianxun, Chen Xi, and the others gathered around. The saber was about five chi long with a slender blade, uniform cloud-like patterns, and a pommel shaped like a *yazi*. The craftsmanship was clearly exquisite. Most importantly, it still contained a trace of Spiritual Qi.

However, it had weakened to only Tier Two Low Grade.

"You found this on the outskirts of the ruins?"

Chen Che asked.

He asked because during a Spiritual Tide eruption, Spirit Treasures would be scoured by the immense flow and lose their Spiritual Qi very quickly. The only explanation was that this saber had been on the periphery of the Spiritual Tide.

That was how it managed to retain some of its Spiritual Qi.

"It was in a palace deep within the ruins, more than ten li from here. A damaged array there happened to withstand a large portion of the Spiritual Tide, which is why this saber survived." Yu Yunko’s gaze flickered, a hint of regret in her tone.

"This was once a Tier Four Weapon..."

Chen Che instantly grasped the key point. "In other words, when the Spiritual Tide flooded the area, some Celestial and Earthly Treasures might have been preserved thanks to the arrays."

The eyes of Meng Qianxun and the others lit up. For them, this was incredibly good news.

One had to understand.

The other party could have easily hidden this information and collected any remaining functional Spirit Treasures before they themselves had a chance to notice.

"Valley Master Chen is indeed sharp."

Yu Yunko smiled and nodded. "Of course, I have no idea how many arrays could have withstood the Spiritual Tide, or how many Spirit Treasures might have been preserved. There could be a hundred, or there could be none at all."

Chen Che didn’t doubt her on this point. If anything had been left, the Primordial Sect and the Star-Picking Sect would have likely returned long ago to search every inch of the place. Of course, it was also possible they had returned after the palace collapsed and simply hadn’t found anything.

Nodding slowly, Chen Che gazed into the depths of the Jinghai.